After a week off due to the international break, ‘Morning Mix’ returns – our weekly football column with a bit of music thrown in for good measure.
We look at two talking points from the past week and point you in the direction of some of the best football stories elsewhere on the internet.
We also offer a top tune recommendation to get you in the mood for the next week and what to watch out for over the coming days. Let’s get stuck in!
Liverpool stink out the Etihad
Liverpool fans unsurprisingly took great delight in seeing their team fire seven goals past Manchester United a few weeks ago.
Since that win, the Reds have been beaten by relegation-threatened Bournemouth and unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
The 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday was the latest in a long line of dismal performances produced by Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.
Given how much Liverpool fans gloat when they are winning, their team’s current predicament is magnificent to watch. Long may it continue.
Let’s all laugh at Chelsea
Speaking of gifts that keep giving, Chelsea’s 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa left the Premier League big-spenders in the bottom half of the table.
Having shelled out a zillion pounds in the last two transfer windows, the London club were not expecting to be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Crystal Palace.
However, if your transfer strategy involves spending more than £60 million on flaky Sideshow Bob lookalikes who wear gloves in April, things are never likely to end well.
Axing Graham Potter as manager was no surprise, but putting one of his backroom staff in temporary charge is odd. Todd Boehly may be rich, but football club ownership may not be his thing.
The week that was
Are you looking for the best football stories from the past week? Check these out:
- Jordi Cruyff returns to Manchester: ‘I apologised to Sir Alex for being like I was’.
- FA’s new non-league contract will cut injured players’ wages – it must be stopped.
- Russia are playing soccer again despite FIFA suspension. How? Because of sports/politics connection.
Today’s top tune
Fife-based indie band Shambolics have earned plenty of plaudits for their energetic live performances and ability to write catchy tunes.
Their latest release ‘Take It Or Leave It’ is a 1980s-groove-inspired cracker – rock back in your chair, whack up the volume and enjoy the magnificence.
What to watch this week
If Manchester City are to retain the Premier League title, they need to beat Arsenal later this month and hope their rivals slip up elsewhere.
On paper, the Gunners’ trip to Liverpool on Sunday is a potential banana skin if the home side can raise themselves to produce their best form. It’s a big ‘if’ though.
A final Morning Mix thought
Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall. Annoying, aren’t they?
